Aodh Ross O'Something

[working9while5]

Well...?

Aodh is pronounced like the capital "A" or the "ay" in say/day/May etc.

Ross is a family name, but name of dh's brother so not a goer for first name as we avoid that kind of name sharing here.

If Aodh decides he hates it and has had enough of having to spell it say, his name is easily anglicised to Hugh at any point, or Ross will be an alternative. Though friends of mine here with Irish names seem to feel pretty positive even with having to explain origin/spelling etc, I know some people really don't like that aspect, but it is fairly pronounceable anyway.. so...

Interested in reactions. Know that Irish names in particular seem to stir up a bit of bunfighting on MN so waiting with bated breath for the views of the MN jury....

This is a good website for ideas www.babynamespedia.com/meaning/Aodhag_0_aacute_1_n

Honestly, I had absolutely no idea how to pronounce this name prior to reading your post. I thought it was along the lines of AY-od. Once you explained the pronunciation I am afraid I wasn't able to warm to it. To me, it's a bit like naming your child E, F, G - a letter of the alphabet. (I hasten to add that I'm also not a fan of names like Jay or Kay or AJ etc.)

You should name your child the name you see fit but, in your position, I would name him Aodhán/Aidan/Aiden/Aydan/Ayden and use 'A' as a nickname. I would just prefer a more substantial name and I favour names that are easy to spell and pronounce.

Not too keen on Aodh because of the "single letter" aspect.

One Irish name I really like (probably because I knew a great guy with this name) is Donal (pronounced like Donut with an "L").

Seconding Donal - also know a nice chap with this name.

I love Irish names too, but if you don't actually live in Ireland, these Gaelic spellings are a nightmare for the poor child! As you say, there are loads of Irish names that are easy on the English speaker - eg Sean, Seamus, Finn, Liam etc. What about Colm, Dermot, Desmond, Dougal, Ardal, Dara, Fergus, Patrick, John-Joseph (Jonjo), Patrick, Gerard (popular as Gerry in Ireland but not actually Irish), Cathal (not that common but easy to spell!), Connor, Connell, Aidan, Gabriel, Vincent (again popular in Ireland rather than actually Irish), Brian (Brian Boru - great!!)

Thirding Donal, BTW!!!

My father is Donal and it is SO not Donul like donut! - it's got a soft "d" which is hard to describe, basically like "th"in though but instead of letting air through your teeth you push your tongue up against your teeth. This is called a dental plosive and to my ear it's very, very different to an alveolar plosive (where tongue makes contact with ridge behind the teeth). It's one of the very few Irish names I am sort of snobby about pronunciation of, obviously picked that up from Dad.

Ardal and Dara are nice Scathac, but I am still not too pushed about the spelling aspect. I don't know if I will be living in the UK forever, and having mastered literally hundreds of South Asian names in my job having come from a country where I never met one person with any of these names I don't have much time for people having such major issues with it. It's this logic that seems to be driving most people in Ireland to name their children American names like Zack and Brayden and Kayden and Aimee. I obviously went with Brendan last time as it was most "amenable" to English people (allegedly) and I have to correct it from being spelled/said as Brandon all the time. I wouldn't go with a crazy spelling like Mhaolmuire or Fuiltiarna or something like that, but I don't think names like Aoife, Aodh or Eimear are really beyond the bounds of people's ability to work out how to say or spell.

Though I do get the one syllable/one letter objection much more and the Ayo Something vs Ay O'Something issue. That makes sense and is a very valid objection to the name vs "English people think it looks funny".

sorry about the Donut pronunciation - I'm not Irish and can't do the sound you describe, but my description was mainly to say it's not like Donald without the D!

Maybe your dad is the very lovely Donal we've all met :o

Ah don't apologise, just have to tell people when it comes up.. I have a good friend at home whose husband is called Donal but pronounces it with a hard d and it really makes me (secretly) wince. As for the lovely Donal being my dad, no offence to my dear father, but don't think so .

Tarlach

Breifne another lovely Irish male name

conhail?

As a Scot who can get my tonuge round most (not all) Gaelic names, irish or Scots, I think Aodh is not a good idea, for many of the reasons given (apart fromt eh arse one!).

BTW how do you pronounce Eimear?

Eimear- Emer- eemur

I like the way it looks written down, but I don't like the pronunciation at all. It is so short, it just seems unfinished. Also sounds like the way in which scottish people ask a question - 'eh?'

I think the spelling/initial inability to pronounce is a minor thing - once you've introduced him or he's introduced himself, if people can't get it right, then that is their problem and their failing. I also agree that is crazy to write off Irish names on the basis that British people can't 'get them'. How lazy! And you wouldn't catch me saying "ah but it's a silly german/chinese/latvian name, so I won't bother learning to do you the courtesy of pronouncing it properly".

Much more important to me is how a name sounds as first name/surname. So with us, we couldn't have names ending in S because our surname starts with S and it becomes a tongue twister or you lose the first part of the surname in the end of the first name. My friend has the surname Ibbot and that meant that many names ending in an "ee/y/i" sound were out because of the tongue twister thing again.

With the Ayo thing, it's just that I'm aware that that is a name in itself, and I thought you might end up, with say Ayo Callaghan instead of Aodh O'Callaghan. Not the end of the world, but a shame if you love Aodh and want it 'seen' in a particular way IYSWIM, as well as messing up the surname.

I'm Irish and I don't like Aodh at all, sorry. I don't think it works well in England either, not from the spelling issues, just in many accents its going to just sound weird.
And as someone with an unusual name, you can get really fucked off my having to spell it 1o times a day and having people go on about it all the time.

I wouldn't use hard to spell and difficult to pronounce properly, maybe just one or the other. Especially if his brother is Brendan, who won't have any problems, it doesn't seem fair!

I'm Irish and LOVE Aodh, it's on our list if we ever have a boy, though probably too close to DD1 as she is Aoibh. Don't change your chosen name because some people will refuse to even try to pronounce it properly, how ignorant.
When DD1 was in the nicu, all the Phillipino nurses calle her "Abe" for the first day, but once we explained how it is pronounced there was no problem at all, although they did used to laugh about never being able to guess how Irish names are pronounced.
A girl I know has called her baby Jay, as has Nicky Byrne from Westlife (I presume her inspiration), I don't see why that is somehow more acceptable than a lovely name with history and culture behind it. It is not an abbreviation.

Hmm, I'm Irish too and have trouble pronouncing Aodh.

How about Cian, Manus, Conor, Declan, Ryan/Ríán, Enda, Garrett/Garreth, Davin, Dáire/Dara/Daragh (without the Mac), Macartan, Turlough, Lochlan/Loughlin, Aidan, Niall, Colm, Conall, Rory/Rúairí, Fionn/Finn, Eoin/Eoghan etc...............

Actually Felim/Phelim/Féilimidh is lovely and Felim Ross O'Something sounds good together. Also Rúairí Ross.

As is Ru-ree (Rúairí) Ross and not Roar-ree (Rory) Ross

Sorry that should be Rur-ree nor Ru-ree

Love it. Very Fenian uprising

I don't like names that are just one letter sound Jay, Kay etc and 'A' has to be the worst, it's like you opened the baby name book and thought 'right, here we go...'A'. I love it, that's sorted then'.

Aodh is a great name and it's easily anglicisable to Hugh*, as you say, if he gets tired of spelling his name for people when he grows up. However I don't think Aodh Ross O'[name] works, if you want feedback on that. It's two short syllable names and runs together a bit too much IYSWIM.

Just my view though so feel free to use it if you like. What about Aidan instead? Or Aodain (can't do fada on a) to be different? Or Rossa?

(*Funny how people think 'A' is a weird name but 'U' isn't... )

I wouldn't pronounce Hugh as 'U'. I think that's an Irish thing?